Can You Smash Your 5K PB With Just 8 Weeks Of Training?

[@gtn]

What personal best times are you trying to beat? 👇

[@leebrown3645]

I.I'm just an old,fat bloke who's trying to break 1hr 10min for 10k and 2hr 30 for a half marathon.

[@kevinwilliamson1883]

Great inspiring video! I came to endurance sport late in life (first tri at 49, and soon turning 56). I'm about to start a focused run training block (similar to Phil) and am aiming to get under 21 for a 5k (21:42 is current pb) and 44 for a 10k (I did 46:05 last weekend) by the end of the year.

[@ygalel]

I did 28 min 17 sec today. I want to beat 28 min next year.

[@Yourstylefirst]

I want to get sub 17 30 for 5km at 14 years old, (I’m not far )

[@tedeshiasmith2149]

I would like to do 25 minutes. Before I started training my average was 29/30 minutes. I am in week 8 of my 10 week training plan and I ran 26:40 last week and two weeks before that I ran 28:30 so I know my training is working. Can't wait to see what my future holds🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@ImpatientTurtle]

Beginner when you've done triathlons, duathlons and half marathons is a little stretch ey. Bloody impressive time though, just PB'd a 5k today at 25:57 and felt like i was flying and somehow his 22:30 looks like a jog. Madness.

[@marie-louisekarlander2366]

I watched this video again, and for sure get inspired. 5 km is brutal. Next Tuesday (not tomorrow) begins my hometowns running serie , 7 Tuesdays, 5 km race, start every 30 min between 16:30-18:00 . This is the 59th year of this tradition. When I was new in triathlon I used those Tuesday for sprint training . Biked 20 km full speed and than I made a running-start. 5 k . I both hate it and love it. I’m not so fast but it’s good training, and almost everyone get faster and faster every week. I’m very impressed of Phil that he could run so fast.

[@mikestevenson1334]

Amazing PB, Phil! Your hard work paid off!

[@seb_617]

Nice job Phil! 👏 Always great when people set themselves goals and smash them. Loved Mark’s gentle but firm “yeah don’t do that” response to Phil’s “start fast” pacing strategy. Clearly good advice both given and taken. 🙂

[@stevemckay4466]

Well done Phil ! Great video & many congrats on the PB.. I'm now officially inspired and am eyeing up my own 5k PB !

[@mandagrath]

I have been running for 6 months now and my best 5K is 21:37. My goal is to run a sub 21 in a sprint triathlon next summer. Hopefully I’ll get it done!

[@s.g.engineeringltds.g.engineer]

Thanks GTN another inspirational video! I'm going for a sub 20 5K, PB is 19:15 but that was waaaay waaaay back but hopefully will get there.

[@MatthewSpurr]

WELL DONE PHIL. Loved this video, great effort!

[@hereisjohnneyyy]

Great video, I always love to see the journeys from people who don´t train since they were childs. I (26 y) started running 8 weeks ago but for the first few weeks with a really bad training plan, especially for a beginner. But last Sunday I decided to compete at a local running event with 6 km. I somehow ran the first kilometre in 4:40 and my head was just screaming "To fast, to fast, slow down pleeeease" but the conditions were great and I found another runner to follow. At the end I finished with 27:25 mins (5k in 23:09) which I guess isn´t that bad for a completely beginner and finished as number 20 of 89 participants (actually 3rd in my age group). Now I´m completely into training for next year and hope to do a sub 21 5k:D

[@tnan123]

Great job Phil! Amazing progress and great job with the structured training plan.

[@cenuijza]

Whenever I am hitting those sub 5min/km paces it feels like I am flying. I imagine people looking on in admiration. Then I see other people running much faster paces, and it looks to me like that they are just shuffling along, and my dreams are shattered 😭. Hopefully I will never see a video of me running 🤞. But yeah, I will still try to imitate Phil, maybe I can approach 24 mins in the 5K one day. Good job.

[@Robin-ie3ns]

Anytime my watch hits a sub 5 split I feel like a pro 😁😁😁

[@leebrown3645]

I'm thinking that my idea of beginner and your idea of beginner, are two very different things....🤔 I enjoyed the video though 😉 Well done,Phil...👍

[@markthrelfall3577]

We just stated that you may recognise Phil as "the beginner in some previous GCN videos", as cycling and triathlon was new to him. I appreciate it has confused a few people though

[@JIMMYHIBBS1]

Hells Bells - I wasn't expecting a 23 minute 5km for a 'beginner' ..... and as nicely as I can - he's no small lad ..... I'm a 25min man, and I feel like I am shifting at that pace - obviously not !!!

[@79devo]

My 100kg/60 year old body is satisfied at any 5k that begins with 29m….. if I hit someone … the momentum sends them flying 😁. Note to others, clear the finishing line because like Arnie “I absolutely will not stop”

[@reieli87]

Let's GO, always enjoy these segments. Very motivating, 😊 🏃.

[@stevenbird1431]

Awesome video!!! Great effort, absolutely smashed it!!🥇🏆 Obviously it’s all down to the coaching 😊

[@stevedarunner5736]

Great idea for a show. Well done.

[@gtn]

Thanks Steve!

[@IrishDublinDave]

Yeah I dont think the 'average' time here apllies to most runners but I enjoyed the video, well done to him for a great pb time 👏

[@panzerveps]

no runners are the same. They aren't claiming that anyone who follows this program can do a 23.30 5k, but that you can smash your own PB whatever that is.

[@gtn]

Phil's 'average' in that he likes to run but didn't follow any structured training until taking on this 8-week plan!

[@EatMyPropwash]

Hill sprint repeats are brutal, but when you finish it… it’s amazing. I get the luxury of walking out my front door and am greeted with an 8-10% hill for 0.3mi. So, when I’m finished dying, I can lay in front of the house staring at the sky wondering “why?!” 😂

[@gtn]

So true!

[@nizam_mr]

Good job Phil. im 39, picked up running in 2019 from 0 athletic ability. Realized not a fast pace runner, so i have been focusing on long distance endurance (HM, Ultra). Up to last year i guess my best 5k was around 23.4x solo gps tracking (may not be distance accurate) this year gave a chance to try threshold trainings as i had a postponed 5k race from 2020 w/ chipped time (course wasnt flat), got into 22:43. Next year maybe i'll try sub 22

[@sinancetinkaya]

23:30 5k PB for beginners? I've been running 10 years and this is hard even for me... 30:00 5k is a more realistic target for a new runner

[@panzerveps]

I've been running for less than a year, with old ankle injuries and everything and my 5k PB is 25.30. Get your **** together, stop running and start training if you're gonna complain.

[@Rob-us5po]

​@@panzervepsyou're telling someone 2 mins quicker than you to get their shit together? I think your beginner gains have gone to your head! With any luck, you'll be humbled by how long it takes you to drop to 23 mins. 30 mins IS about average for a genuine beginner runner completing their first 5k. Heck, even look at the average parkrun finishing times...

[@BianchiLuke87]

Honestly with any sort of dedicated training you can go from 30min to 23min in a couple months. That's what I did. Caveat being I used to run/cycle a lot before my son was born and fell in to 4years of inactivity + 3 extra stone of weight. I've been back to running about 18months and current 5k is 19min40..

[@Rob-us5po]

@@BianchiLuke87 with previous training history, sure, it's possible. For an absolute beginner, which this thread was referring to, dropping to 23mins with no previous training history is extremely unlikely in a few months for the average person. It takes time for the necessary physiological adaptations to occur

[@markthrelfall3577]

We didn't actually say Phil was a beginner runner, just that you "might recognise him as the beginner in some GCN videos". 30min 5km is a great goal, so please don't be put off by this video :)

[@BianchiLuke87]

Interesting there was a hill session the day after threshold at 10:00 Honestly with any sort of dedicated training you can go from 30min to 23min in a couple months. That's what I did. Caveat being I used to run/cycle a lot before my son was born and fell in to 4years of inactivity + 3 extra stone of weight. I've been back to running about 18months and current 5k is 19min40.

[@Kureshiman]

'Begginer' with a 5K time of 23 mins. This was depressing. Can we please bring back the more relatable Pippa back? Please.

[@Yourstylefirst]

Wdym brah a beginner should be able to run a 23 mins, unless you are in bad shape. But there is NO SHAME in that. Maybe just the wrong video? Love ❤for GTN

[@Robin-ie3ns]

Haha 😂 I kind of agree - my PB is 21 mins and took me years 😂 A lot depends on age / weight / fitness, but most GTN tips can apply at any level. Main thing is have fun, and the slower you are the easier it is to improve!

[@patriciapemberton9990]

Agree, had to rewind to make sure I heard it. Also he has done a lot of running. Not a beginner

[@peterpupe8352]

I agree. Average real beginner should be around 30min.

[@wrusst]

​​@@Yourstylefirstmost people who finish couch to 5k almost exclusively have an over 30 mins time and typically 33-35 . So yeah 23 day 1 is pretty low as a beginner. Dude already done a triathlon and half marathon as a beginner ...

[@mleonards]

frankly, a man that does a triathlon, and duathlon can't be called average.

[@greengonzonz]

Numbers aside, Phils awesome attitude made this more relatable. Well done Lad. Beats my PB 24.48 😊

[@gtn]

Do you have a target you're working towards?

[@vinitrohra7458]

23:30 is not average man stats 😭

[@panzerveps]

His actual PB was closer to 25 minutes though.

[@donkang1341]

20min 5k is pretty crazy for me. Here we have physical exams at 2.4km and most of the fitter guys can’t even clock a 10.30 time. So pretty mad

[@thebooksupplier]

What I’d like to know is how Phil got his runs on his Wahoo from TrainingPeaks. I can’t get mine to show up unless I mark it as a bike session, and then it doesn’t read my Stryd footpod.

[@aleksandarp3388]

A virtual Heather is a great idea actually 🤣

[@erik4177]

nice infomercial

[@darronhebberd1424]

Gutted it's a pay for plan

[@martinsodyssey]

I wish

[@sandman_oO]

"Beginner"

[@richard73]

hhhhuuuummmm…20 quid for a fitness program 🤔🤔🤔 don’t think so 🙄🙄

[@spicybbqtasty3960]

I think the elephant in the room is that he should have lost ~20 to 30 lbs prior to going for his pb... But we can't talk about how weight affects personal performance in this day and age can we.

[@xuchenglin6256]

Probably the untold truth is 1. Phil could really cut off some weight, 2. He just need to run more, just more mileage would just do the trick. 23:00 something 5K isn't really that fast. You don't need this kind of complicated training plan. You can and should achieve this ONLY through an elevated base. Not long ago I'm in a somewhat similar situation. 25:00 5K is fast, and 22:30 is very fast, 20:00 is beyond insane. Guess what made all the difference? Run everyday. It doesn't matter how long it is, it can be as short as 5 minutes or 10 minutes. Unless it's a storm or heavy smog, you run. Most of the time I just follow the suggested workout on my Garmin watch, which most of the time is a 30-45 minutes "base run", it's the so called zone 2 easy run intensity. I didn't expect anything but guess what, I now can easily hit 21:00 in a threshold training run... 22:30 is just something in the middle of a 10K "tempo run". I didn't do any speed work, though the Garmin suggested workout sometimes give you a threshold session, but for me that takes good weather (no smog) + me in good condition + mentally I'm committed (IT's really really hard), painfully hard), for this reason I actually skipped most of them, but still here I am. I know probably I just threw some of the top end speed by skipping the fast work, but the point here is, when you are way below "elite" or "good", the aerobic base gain could easily offset any of those speed gimiicks. I know I'll always be faster for a few seconds/km if I did all those intervals. But yet again most of the speed comes from the base. There's a time that easy base gain will run out, and you have to do the hard work do squeeze the last bit of speed, but let's worry that later, get the base up to the plateau first. So for Phil what really makes sense is stop using all those tricks, and play the long game.

[@RichardRider-hp4rp]

Dont insult the avg man w that monstrosity on the thumbnail lol